Electric brake for slip-ring motors



March 6, 1934. .1. D. N11-:s

ELECTRIC BRAKE FOR SLIP RING MOTORS 2 Sheets-Shet l Filed April 6.' 1931' `March 6, 1934.

J. D. NlEs 1,949,727 ELECTRIC BRAKE FOR SLIP RING OTORS Filed April 5. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @ZM/am, Mm@ @um ff @1W Patented Mar. 6, 1934 v 1,949,721 ELEcTmc BRAKE Fon SLIP-mo Mo'roizsl John D. Nice, St. Charles, lll., assigner to The Kimble Electric Co., Chicago. Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application. Api-n c, ical, semi Nc. stacca s claims. (el. riz-179i This invention relates to dynamic brakes for electric motors and more specifically concerns means whereby dynamic braking of polyphase slip-ring motors is accomplished,

As is well known in the direct current mo= tors can be arranged readily to give dynamic braking, but alternating-'motors oi the polyphase type have been lacking in this feature. To prol1 duce a quick stop in the case of an alternating current, it is customary to plug the motor, that is apply reverse power to the motor, and keep this reverse power on until the motor comes sub stantially forest. 'Ihis can be done manually crv automatically. Ii the operation is automatic, the motor is arranged for such operation by being fitted with an electrical contact which remains closed whenever the motor has forward rotation except possibly at a very low speed. The coil oi' the reversing magnet switch is supplied with currentthrough this contact, and also through an electrical interlock carried on the forward magnet switch, so that whenever the forward switch opens, the reverse switch automatically closes, and remains closed until the speed has fallen to some predetermined low value or to zero,'when it is opened by the opening ci the contact on the motor. operated by the friction of forward motion, and in some cases it remains `closed forall, forward motion and in orderto release it, a slight backup of the motor is required. This contact need not f be operated/by the motor directly, but can be operated from themachine driven by the motor.

The scheme as outlined in general terms in the foregoing is naturally subject to many practical modifications, all, however, depending upon the same principle, and in4 these various modified forms is in successful commercial operation. There are, however, certain objections toit. @ne of these is, that the motor or the driven machine must have certain mechanical operations peru formed on it in order to apply the device, in other words, va standard motor cannot be used without change. Another objection is the expense both of the device and of' the labor ci? installing it. A third objection is that the device is not selective in its action but functions after a forward movement of any kind whether or not such functioning is desirable. In certain cases, it is not desirable 'to have the device function. For example, in

, ycontrollers .forprinting presses, certain push but- This contact is usually presses' and releases such a button repeatedly', causing the forward switch to close and open in rapid succession, thus jogging or inching the press along. A dynamic hraize is not needed ing this operation, but with the schemes es so iriously outlined, everyy time the forward swit i opens, the reverse switch closes. therefore the motor alternately has iorwar and reverse power on it, which is hard on the equipment and is undesirable.

The primary object ci the present invention is to provide a device ,for accomplishing dynamic braking o'f a slip ring motor.

. Another. object of the invention is to adapt said device so that it may be installed on the 7o main control panel, thereby eliminating the necessity of providing special means on the motoror on the driven machine.

A further object consists in the provision of means whereby the device, for accomplishing the purpose set forth, may be held inoperative when the driven machine isbeing inched, either in forward or in reverse direction.

Still further objects will become apparent from the following` description having reference to the B0 accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a diagram of a control layout for slip-ring motors and illustrates one form of this invention;

Figures 2, 3 and 4 show different methods of 85 connecting an impedance with the coil of a relay;

Figures 5 and 6 indicate different forms of providing a. plugging relay in connection with a control layout illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure l illustrates a typical control schem for the magnetic switches of a slip-ring motor to which the present invention has been applied. inasmuch as such control schemes exhibit con siderable variety, the invention must be worked 05 out in various modiiied forms to suit, without, however, departing from the essential principles involved. In Figures l, 5 and 6 the main power wiring is not fully shown, this and other common place features being shown in dotted lines, to 109 emphasize the. invention. The control includes the forward switch F, the reverse switch R, the torque switch T, the speed selector switch S, and the control relay CR.. Switches T, S and CR are not essential to the invention, but it ls generally 105 desirable to use them.

Switch F carries an electrical interlock 7. open when the switch is closed. and similarly R carries an interlock 3; open when R is closed. The wires leading to the control buttons are marked 2. 2A, 110

3, 4, 5- and 6, and this numbering is retained in the succeeding diagrams.

When the control relay is provided, it remains open during inching. "For, inching, the forward gswitch is closed directly by operation of an inching button and opens again when the buttonis released. The inching button closes the circuit for the forward switch through wire 5. For reverse operation, inching only is required and this is done by depressing a reverse button which closes the reverse switch through wire 6. 'Ihis switch immediately opens when the button is released, vand the control relay remains open also in this case. For running forward, pressure on any run button rst closes the control relay through wire 3. This control relay normally has two contacts 9 and 10, both closed when the relay closes; one of these contacts, 9, maintains the relay in closed position, and the second one 10 brings in the forward switch which therefore remains closed for the run, or until the control relay is opened by pressure on a stop button. The speed selector switch closes when the upper contacts of the run button are closed, by the release of the button to supply current to wire 2A, thus putting the motor on the line at predetermined speed. In all these operations the torque switch is arranged to close during starting, in either direction and either for inching or running, but to open again soon after. The forward and reverse switches are usually interlocked mechanically and electrically against simultaneous closure.

The electrical interlocking consists of contac carried on each of the two switches, so arranged that when either switch is closed, the circuit through which the coil of the other switch can receive current is automatically opened. The switches on the panel therefore make the following list:

Forward switch,

Reverse switch;

Torque switch,

Control relay,

Speed selector switch,

and of these, the only ones which close during a forward run but remain open during inching either forwards or reverse, are the control relay and its auxiliary the speed selection switch. This fact makes the control relay advantageous for use in one of the arrangements described in the following.

The plugging system which is the subject of this specification requires the usual forward and reverse magnet switches: a control relay is desirable but not indispensible. In the following, three forms are shown: (l) one additional relay is required; (2) -two additional relays are required; (3) no additional relay is required. Each of these forms may possess advantages for particular services. i

Assume a relay to be connected across the rotor during the plugging of the motor. A plain magnetic relay connected across the rotor and closed, will remain closed over a very wide range of rotor speeds, inasmuch as' the voltage and frequency of the rotor circuit vary in the same direction and rate. Assume a 60 cycle motor with a rotor wound for 220 volts when open' circuited at stand still. Assume the motor to have been running at full speed forward, and then assume the forward switch to be opened and the reverse switch immediately thereafter closed. The rotor voltage is then for the instant 440 and the frequency 120 cycles, and the magnetic induction in the coil of the relay connected to this circuit will have a certain value.

As the rotor speed falls, the voltage and frequency fall at the same rate, and the magnetic induction remains constant. Ify the reverse power is kept on, the rotor will fall to zero speed and then start revolving in the new direction, but the relay will still remain closed until nearly full speed is reached, and will only open then because of the fact that the ohmic resistance of the relay coil begins to be large in comparison with the diminishing reactance of the same coil. vHowever, by suitably modifying the circuit of which the coil of the plugging relay is a part, the relay can be made differently sensitive to voltage than to frequency and thus can be made to open automatically at any predetermined point in the slow down of the rotor.. l

There are many ways in which this modification can be carried out. The simplest is by connecting a resistance-in series with the coil of the relay, Figure 2. A condenser can be used instead of the resistance, but offers the objection that it is puncturable, hence unreliable.

Still another plan is to use a resistance in series with the coil, Figure 3, the coil itself being shunted by a fixed reactor. In still another modification, Figure 4, a resistance is placed in series with the coil, and the coil is then shnted by a condenser and a reactor in series, the condenser and reactor being so selected as to resonate at the desired cutout frequency, thus setting up a bypass around the coil of practically zero impedance, which assures the opening of the relay. Mami other combinations will occur to any one familiar with the art. A simple resistance in series with the coil has been found entirely satisfactory provided the relay has proper characteristics. These characteristics are such that when the relay commences to unseal it will always immediately go to the wide open position. A relay of such characteristics with suitable resistance in series and supplied `with current from the rotor will invariably open at a sharply defined speed in the slow down, of the rotor. It is hereinafter called the plugging relay.

In the method of plugging as herein described, the forward switch is opened, then the reverse switch is closed, and then current derived from the rotor is utilized to keep the reverse switch closed until the predetermined point in the slow down is reached. There is an interval of time between the opening of the forward switch and the closing of the reverse switch, during which the rotor is electrically dead. The rotor, therefore, cannot be utilized a's a source of voltage for closing the plugging relay, or more generally for initiating the braking process.

It is necessary then to provide other means for initiating the braking, and the means adopted for this purpose must be active only long enough to effect the initiation and immediately thereafter must become inactive, as otherwise the reverse switch will be held closed and the motor will reverse and continue to run reversed. In other words, the initiatory means must act only until the rotor voltage can assume control of the braking. Also, during the brief instant when both the initiatory means and the rotor voltage are active on the braking means, there must be no interytot las

.Mz through resistances R1 and Rz.

switch coil. The reverse switch coil is permanently connected across leads M1 and M of the rotor as was the plugging relay coil before, through resistances R1 and R2, these resistances serving the same purpose as before, that is to prevent interference when two distinct sources of voltage are connected to the lsame coil. The forward switch F carries an electrical interlock 7 which becomes closed when the forward switch opens, and also carries a momentary contact; 16 which. may beeither open or closed when the forward switch is closed. If the former, as indicated diagrammatically, it closes after the forwardswitch opens, makes only a momentary contact and then reopens. If the latter, it simply remains closed for an instant after the forward switch has opened.

The operation is as follows: opening of the forward switch closes momentary contact 16 and interlock contact 7, current flows from Li through these contacts, through, the coil of thev reverse switch 'to Li, under prevention of interference `from the connection'to the rotor by the interposed resistances Riand R2, and causes the reverse switch to close. Closure of the latter en- 'ergzes the motor in the reverse direction, and

causes rotor voltage to appear on wires M1 and Mz 'and the coil of the reverse switch is then also fed from the rotor through these resistances Ri, Rn. The rotor begins to slow down.

The momentary contact 16 opens, at a predetermined time, and thus leaves the coil of the reverse swih in circuit across rotor leads M1 and These resistances are so adjusted together with the reverse switch as to permit the latter to open at a predements of the invention, including some in imi proved form, will be apparent, and in the course ofztime more will be devised by those skilled in the art. It is not desired that this invention be limited to the details described, for its scope iny `cludes all such forms or improvements as come within the spirit ofthe following claims, construed as broadly as the prior art will permit. Especially it should be noted that there are other .purposes for which a relay controlled bythe rotor circuit may be used. One of these is to control the torque relay which may also be maintained energized by the rotor circuit.

"Iclaim:

1. In combination with a polyphase slip-ring motor energized by a line circuit and having a rotor, a relay for controlling forward drive, a separate reverse switch, manually controlled means for closing said reverse switch when the motor is at rest, a circuit controlled solely by said forward relay and rotor for closing said reverse switch .when the forward switch opens,l

and impedance in said circuit to render said circuitineifectiveto hold said'reverse switch closed after said rotor slows down to a predetermined speed.

2. In combination with a polyphase slip-ring motor energized by a line circuit and having a rotor, a relay for controlling forward drive, a separate reverse switch, manually controlled means for closing said reverse switch when the motor is at rest by connecting its coil across the line, a circuit including said coil controlled solely by said forward relay and rotorfor closing said reverse switch when the forward switch opens, and impedance in said circuit to render said circuit ineilfective to hold said reverse switch closed after said rotor slows down to a predetermined speed, said impedance: being connected between said rotor and the connections of said coil with the line circuits for preventing conflicts between the line circuits and the rotor circuits in the operation of said reverse switch.

32 In .combination 4with a polyphaseslip ring motor energized by a line circuit and'having anI induced current element, a forward switch.. a plugging relay having a coil connectible across the line and also across the induced current element of said motor, and aresistance in the connection between said induced current element and said coil to prevent interference between the in\ duced currents and the line current in the operation of. said relay, and contacts closed by said coil to energize said motor in a reverse direction.

-4.,.In combination with a polyphase slip ring motor energized by a line circuit and having an induced -current element, a forward switch, a plllging relay having'a coil connectible across the line and also across the induced current element of said motor, and an impedance in the connectionV between said induced current element and said coil to prevent interference between the induced currents and the line current in the operation of saidy relay, and contacts closed by said coil to energize said m'otor in a reverse direction.

. JOHN D. NIES. 

